If you hang around the classical Dressage crowd for any length of time, you will hear someone say something to this effect: “Horses already know how to do the movements, in the field; training only consists of teaching them to do them with a rider added.” It might also be slightly modified to include “on … More What is the goal of training?
In a recent post, I discussed the general notion of how you can change the horse’s body, for better or worse, based upon the nature of the work. The inspiration for that post came from Coffee. Recently, my mother had been commenting on how much more handsome Coffee is than when he came here. I … More Sculpting the Equine Body, Pt 2
One of the aspects of classically based Dressage training is the way in which it changes the horse’s physique. It is true that any equine activity that involves a level of conditioning will tone muscles, and should make the horse more attractive. I say “should” because there are definitely activities that condition a horse but … More Sculpting the Equine Body, Pt 1
I write often about the parallels I see between art and classical Dressage. It was a sensibility that began to take root while I was studying art, but was truly entrenched during my years of training Dani. As we grew together in skill, and I watched her change her whole form through the work, I … More The divergent paths of art and sport
Horse Crazy Once Again 